COPYCENSE

"Why are ringtones taking off now? Because, whether they are irritating or funny or odd, they satisfy something that iPods and other MP3 players cannot. With an iPod, no one knows what you are listening to. But with a ringtone, the anti-iPod, everyone within earshot hears what you hear.

"And, sure enough, phones that play ringtones and music are now chasing down the iPod market.

"Already a number of countries have found ways to make ringtones sound more musical. Some have learned to embrace the irritation, turning it into a kind of art."

Sarah Boxer. Hip-Hop’s New World to Conquer: Your Phone. The New York Times. Nov. 30, 2004.

(Editor�s Note: The Times allows free access to their stories on the Web for seven days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archive.)

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